Celebrating 21 years in business, Wave Electrical Services Ltd provides a full suite of electrical services to the pharmaceutical, date centre, telecommunications and healthcare sectors nationwide.
Established in May 2005 by Donal and Ruairí Looney – who aren’t related – the Cork-headquartered company has grown to employ 60 people, who are mainly based locally with a team of 15 based in Dublin. Wave Electrical Services celebrated its 20th anniversary last year with a party in the Angler’s Rest, Cork.
The leading electrical contractor provides a number of niche services, including Critical Power, DC Power (Rectifiers & Battery Systems) and Fire Suppression Systems along with UPS Systems, IPS Systems, ATEX & Intrinsically Safe Systems, ICT (Fibre & Copper Solutions) and Security Alarm Systems (CCTV, Access Control & Intruder Alarms). It is a PSA-registered security contractor.
Wave Electrical Services prides itself among other things on its service and maintenance department which is headed up by Dave Shorten. In 2020, Stephen O’Mahony was added as a director to run the Dublin operation which has grown considerably since then.
The firm’s expansion has been accelerated by the acquisition of Enterprise Electrical and Electro Technical Services Ltd (trading as Novus) in 2022 and 2025 respectively. A company with a distinguished 35-year reputation for excellence within the pharmaceutical industry, Enterprise Electrical was led by Billy Cashman and Shane Anthony. Billy has since retired from day-to-day operations, but remains involved as a consultant. The team is now led by Shane who continues to provide an exceptional service to pharma customers such as Merck Millipore.
Through the leadership of Brendan Bermingham, Novus has established itself as a leading provider of the full suite of electrical services to the health and social care sectors, delivering specialised sectors such as Horizons (formerly the Cope Foundation) across their estate in the greater Cork region.
Wave Electrical Services boasts an impressive client list that includes eir, Uisce Éireann, Bus Éireann, Iarnrod Éireann, Bord na Mona, Mater Private, Alliance Medical, MTU Cork, Merck Millipore, Horizons, Dairygold, Aldi, EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and Pilz Ireland.
Past project include:
Current projects include:
Committed to bringing through the next generation of electricians, Wave Electrical Services places a huge emphasis on its apprenticeship programme. The programme is designed to give apprentices strong hands-on experience alongside qualified electricians, working on real industrial and commercial projects.
Apprentices assist with installation, maintenance and testing of electrical systems while developing practical skills in a live work environment. The company encourages a supportive environment focused on learning, progression and career growth, helping apprentices build both technical ability and confidence. Overall, training is a key priority, combining on-the-job learning, mentorship and opportunities to progress within the apprenticeship, ensuring apprentices are well-prepared for a long-term career in the electrical industry.
Furthermore, Health & Safety is a core priority that underpins every aspect of Wave Electrical Services’ operations. Working with electrical systems carries inherent risks, so strict safety procedures, regular risk assessments and adherence to industry regulations are essential to protect both employees and clients.
The company places strong emphasis on training staff to recognise hazards, use equipment safely and follow best practices on-site, ensuring a safe working environment at all times. This commitment not only reduces accidents, but also promotes professionalism and reliability in its services. By prioritising Health & Safety, Wave Electrical Services demonstrates its responsibility to its workforce and customers, while maintaining high standards across all projects.
“We’re going from strength to strength,” director Donal Looney enthuses.
“We have a great team and customers and suppliers who have made us what we are today. We provide services to the data centre, pharmaceutical, telecommunications and healthcare sectors. As Merck Millipore’s incumbent electrical contractor, we have a full-time presence of 10-12 electricians in their Carrigtwohill facility.
“Our biggest and longest-standing customer is eir. They have 1,600 telephone exchanges and data centres across Ireland and we’ve been building, maintaining and looking after all of their electrical services since 2005 when they were known as eircom. We’re part of the furniture at this stage!
“Our other valued clients include Bord na Mona, MTU Cork, Iarnrod Éireann, Bus Éireann, Mater Private Cork and Uisce Éireann, for whom we carry out reactive and electrical upgrade works on an ongoing basis.”
Donal adds: “Our name comes from AC sine wave. We’re predominantly Cork-based with a nationwide presence. We have a 15-strong crew operating mostly in Dublin, but also in Galway.”
The company founders first met while serving their apprenticeships with MJ McGrath Electrical in Cork in the late 1990s.
“MJ McGrath’s had a contract to develop Esat Digifone’s 086 mobile phone network at the time and we spent four years in Beaumont and Blanchardstown in Dublin helping to build masts and telephone exchanges for them,” Donal recalls.
“Ruairí then went to Australia and I joined Tyco Integrated Systems where I was involved in installing what was cutting-edge camera technology on the M50 at the time. I then returned to McGrath’s for 18 months where I helped with the roll out of access control across the country. I went back to Tyco for a second time after that before setting up Wave Electrical Services with Ruairí – who had returned from Australia – in 2005. I was 25, he was 26 and we started with one apprentice.
“From those humble beginnings, we gradually built the business up. The recession hit in 2008, but because we were still small, we weren’t exposed to it as much as the bigger lads were. We cut our teeth during those lean years. We learned how to be prudent, efficient and to be competitive with pricing.
“That was the ocean we had to navigate and it has stood us in good stead. The economy is a lot more buoyant now and we continue to experience good steady growth.”
Here’s to the next 21 years!
Wave Electrical Services Ltd
Piercetown,
Whites Cross,
Cork,
T23 R2HC.
Telephone: 021 422 1935
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, August 2026, Vol 12 No 8
featured, Wave Electrical Services
